Package



PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1961 IIHIIWHIHHIIHI JHH July 19, 1966 R. M. FONTANA 3,261,461

PACKAGE Filed June 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,261,461 PACKAGE Robert M. Fontana, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Packaging Frontiers, Inc., Waltharn, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 26, 1961, Ser. No. 119,621 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to packaging, and more particularly, it relates to packaging a plurality of separately contained food servings, and to a carton which will support separately contained food servings packaged in accordance with the method.

In the art of packaging, it has become customary to supply certain products such as juices, beverages, etc., to the ultimate consumer in an individual disposable serving container. The container holds an average serving of the product, and can be readily disposed of when emptied of its contents.

The individual serving containers may be supplied to the consumer in a package containing several containers so that a number of individual servings can be supplied with each package. This method of distributing the product proves advantageous to the consumer and to the retailer. It provides the consumer with a number of individual containers which need not be opened until they are needed, and it enables the retailer to more efficiently distribute the containers.

Numerous types of containers have been developed for providing individual servings and various packages have been provided for selling and distributing these containers. One such container which is presently being marketed is a generally tetrahedral shaped container in which is contained beverages or other products. The container is generally made by forming a tube from flexible material and then closing opposite ends of the tube along lines which are rotated 90 from each other. While such generally tetrahedral shaped containers have numerous advantages, they present unique problems in multiple packaging of containers. Various attempts have previously been made at multiple packaging and packing of these tetrahedral containers but these attempts have not generally resulted in successful packages which could be readily handled in the channels of commerce.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved mode of packaging a plurality of generally tetrahedral shaped containers. Another object of the invention is to provide a carton including a plurality of such tetrahedral containers packaged in accordance with the improved mode. A further object of the present invention is to provide a mode of packaging a plurality of such containers which results in a package which can be easily packed. A still further object of the invention is to provide a mode of packaging a plurality of tetrahedral containers which distributes the containers within the package in such a manner that damage to the containers during shipment is minimized.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings of one embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken-away view of an individual generally tetrahedral shaped container of the type adapted to be packaged in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partially broken-away perspective view of an opened package formed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top view of the package of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side view of the package of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view of a shelf in blank form which is adapted to support the containers of FIGURE 1 within a carton;

FIGURE 6 is a partially broken-away fragmentary view showing the shelf of FIGURE 5 in position within a carton; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 77 of FIGURE 6, and showing, in addition, two of the containers of FIGURE 1 disposed upon the shelf.

Very generally, the present invention comprises a mode of packaging in which a plurality of generally tetrahedral shaped containers are disposed in one or more layers within a carton in such a manner as will provide a maximum utilization of the space within the carton while providing maximum protection during shipment.

The invention also comprises a shelf of particular design adapted to be disposed Within the carton in supporting relation to the tetrahedral containers packaged in accordance with the improved method.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the accompanying drawing, there is illustrated a tetrahedral shaped container 10 which comprises an elongated body portion 11 formed usually from a tubular section; the container having a seam 13 extending substantially the length of the container. The container 10 may be formed of a variety of flexible materials depending upon the nature of the product to be contained therein. When juices or other liquids are being packaged, for example, a moisture-resistant material should obviously be used.

The body 11 is sealed at each end by means of an upper end seam 15 and a lower end seam 17 having transverse edges 19 and 21, respectively. The seams 15 and 17, and hence, the edges 19 and 21 are disposed at an angle of approximately to one another so as to provide a package of generally tetrahedral shape having four generally triangular shaped sides. It is not between these seams be exactly 90, though in commercial practice this will be the case, but an angle of rotation of as small as about 45 can be established between the seams 17 and 19.

A package having a tetrahedral shape, such as is shown, 'has many advantages. It can be laid on any one of its four generally triangular sides and yet be in a stable position, as opposed to cylindrical containers or bottles which are primarily only stable in two positions and frequently, in only one position. Further, as will be discussed shortly, when a tetrahedral shaped container is opened in a particular manner, it provides a convenient pouring spout for emptying the container, eliminating the necessity of an elaborate construction such as is necessary in certain milk containers provided with a pouring spout which unfolds when the container is opened.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the container shown contains a drinking straw 23 which is provided for the convenience of the consumer. Also, the container 10 is shown as having a line of Weakness or perforations 25 disposed diagonally across one of its corners to provide access to the contents of the container as well as access to the straw 23.

In accordance with the present invention, a number of tetrahedral containers are disposed in a particular manner in a multicornered container or carton 27, such as that shown in FIGURES 2 through 4. With particular reference to FIGURES 2 and 4, the carton 27 comprises generally a rectangular base or bottom 29 having four substantially vertical wall panels, namely, a pair of side walls 31 and 33, a rear wall 35, and a forward wall 37, all of which extend upwardly from an edge of the base 29. The Walls may be interconnected with one another by any one of a number of ways Well-known in the art,-

but in the illustrated embodiment, are joined along fold lines 39 which are substantially normal to the plane of necessary that the angle.

3 the base 29 and extend upwardly from each corner of the base.

As can be seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, the base 29 is generally square in shape, and the length of each edge thereof is slightly greater than the length of one of the containers 10. Also, the height of the carton 27 is slightly greater than the length of the edges 19 and 21 of the seams 15 and 17. While it is not necessary that such a dimensional relation exist between the dimensions of the containers 11 and those of the carton 27, it is found to be preferable in that it insures that the containers will be securely maintained within the carton.

The carton 27 is also provided with a lid 41 which is hingedly attached .to the rear panel 35 along a fold line 43. The lid 41 serves to protect the containers within the carton and maintain them in the desired arrangement. However, similar results might be obtained by other means such as by wrapping the open carton in paper or transparent material.

In accordance with this invention, at least two of the containers or packages 10 are disposed in a layer within the carton 27, each container being placed on one of its sides so that its end seam 15 is in a generally vertical position thereby causing its end seam 17 to be in a generally horizontal position. The containers are arranged in a set shaped like a fan with the end seams 15 at the apex of the fan and adjacent a single fold line 39 of the carton formed by the intersection of two adjacent side walls, the end seams 15 lying in planes which intersect one another substantially at the fold line 39. These containers thus form a fan-shaped layer which has a configuration similar to that of a sector of a circle of radius equal to the length of the containers.

In order to insure that the contents of the containers will not have a tendency to leak out along the line of weakness 25, the containers are preferably disposed Within the carton so that the line of weakness is in the upper corner of the seam 15.

In the illustrated embodiment of containers packaged in accordance with the improved mode, the containers are disposed in two layers or fans of three, with the vertical seams 15 of the second layer or fan (which constitute the apex of this fan) adjacent a fold line 39 which is diagonally opposite to the fold line of the first layer, with each layer being in substantially the same position with respect to its adjacent fold line as the previous layer. The layers therefore complement one another within the carton and thus utilize most efficiently the space available within the carton.

When tetrahedral containers are disposed in a carton in the above described manner, all of the containers receive support from the walls of the carton and/or from adjacent containers, and damage to the containers within the cart-on is thus minimized. Further, the above described mode makes it possible to package a plurality of such containers in such a manner that the resulting package can itself be easily packed. In addition, when tetrahedral containers are thus packaged, they are easily accessible Within the package, should it be desired to remove one or more of the containers for use.

It should be clear that any number of layers might be disposed in the carton without departing from the scope of the invention. However, depending somewhat on the shape of the carton, it is preferable that an even number of layers be used so that they might complement each other and thus utilize most of the space within the carton. Also, the number of containers disposed in each layer may vary depending upon the relative dimensions of the length of the container and the length of the seams 15 and 17.

In regard to the method of disposing the containers within the carton, it would be possible to either completely form the carton and then arrange the containers within it, or to place a number of containers in a particular arrangement on a portion of the carton and then form the carton around them.

Referring now to FIGURES 5, 6, and 7, there is illustrated a shelf which is particularly adapted to be placed in the carton 27 in supporting relation to the tetrahedral containers 10 packaged in accordance with the above-described mode. The provision of the shelf 45 provides an improved carton for the packaging of such containers.

The supporting shelf 45 illustrated in blank form in FIGURE 5 is of irregular configuration and comprises a plurality of panels foldably interconnected so as to be disposed at various angles to the base 29 of the carton and to provide the most effective support for the containers 19. For convenience of description, the center line of the shelf will be considered to be the vertical axis of the blank, and the upper and lower edges of the blank as they appear in FIGURE 5 will be so designated in the description.

The shelf 45 includes a central panel 47 which is trapezoidal in shape and disposed withits upper and lower parallel edges 49 and 51generally horizontal. The upper edge 49 is somewhat longer than the lower edge 51 and the center line bisects each edge such that the central panel 47 is generally symmetrical about the centerline.

Disposed on each side of the central panel 47 and connected thereto by interrupted cut lines 53 is an inverted triangular side panel 55 having its base edge 57 disposed adjacent the upper edge 49 of the central panel 47 and its apex disposed at the corresponding end of the lower edge 51 of the central panel. The base edge 57 of the triangular panel 55 is inclined downwardly at a slight angle to the horizontal so as to form a slight angle with the upper edge 49 of the central panel 47.

The outer side edge of each of the triangular panels 55 constitutes an interrupted cut line 59 which interconnects each of the triangular panels with a third panel 61 which has six sides, none of which are parallel. The third panel is defined generally along its inner edge by the interrupted cut line 59, on its adjacent lower side by a base line 63, on its outer edge by a fold line 65, and along its upper edge by outer, intermediate and inner upper edges 67, 69, and 71. The base edge is at a slight angle to the horizontal and hence to the lower edge 51 of the central panel 47, and the outer side edge 65 is at an acute angle to the inner side edge 59.

The outer upper edge 67 is the longer of the three upper edges and is generally normal to the outer edge or fold line 65. The intermediate upper edge 69 is considerably shorter and inclined somewhat less to the horizontal than the outer upper edge 67. The inner upper edge 71 is also short, and is at the same angle to the horizontal as the base edge 57 of the triangular panel 55, of which it is an extension.

The fold lines 65 connect each of the third panels to a quadrilateral outer panel 73 having a first side defined by the fold line 65, a base edge 75 which is relatively short and inclined slightly less to the horizontal than the base edge 63 of the third panel, an outer side edge 77 which is disposed at an acute angle to the fold line edge 65 and almost, but not quite, horizontal, and an upper edge 79 which is disposed at a slightly smaller angle to the vertical than the outer upper edge 67 of the third panel. The corner formed by the intersection of the outer side edge 77 and the upper edge 79 is rounded as at 81.

Connected along the upper edge 49 of the central panel 47 by a fold line is a rectangular upper panel 83 having upper and lower edges 85 (fold line) and 87 somewhat longer than the edge 49 so that the rectangular panel 83 overhangs somewhat each of the triangular panels 55. The lower corners of the rectangular panel are rounded at 89.

A triangular upper panel 91 is connected by means of a fold line 93 along the upper edge 85 of the rectangular panel 83. The panel 91 is in the shape of an isosceles triangle and includes an apex angle of slightly less than 90.

When the shelf 45 is in place within the carton 27, the central panel 47 is in overlying relation to the base 29 of the carton and generally centrally disposed thereto (FIG. 6). The triangular panels 55 and the rectangular panel 83 extend upwardly from the central panel at an acute angle to the base 29 to form a shallow dish. The triangular upper panel 91 extends from the upper edge 85 of the rectangular panel 83 downwardly toward one of the corners of the carton and the third panels 61 extend upwardly from the outer upper edges of the triangular panels 55. The outer panels '73 extend downwardly from the outer edges 65 (fold lines) of the third panels and are in adjacent relation to the walls of the carton which do not cooperate to form the corner occupied by the upper triangular panel 91.

In disposing the containers 10 in a carton provided with the shelf 45, three of the containers are placed within the carton, with the centermost of the three being disposed so that its lower end seam 17 is generally horizontal and contiguous to the lower edge 87 of the rectangular panel 33. The containers on each side of the central container are disposed in overlying relation to the inclined third panels 61 and, while these two containers may not be initially disposed so that one of their sides is inclined parallel to the plane of the third panel, they are eventually forced into such a position by the upper layer of containers, as will become apparent shortly.

The second layer of three containers is disposed with the central container overlying the triangular upper panel 91 which is inclined at such an angle that the uppermost wall of the container is generally horizontal when so disposed. The remaining two containers are disposed on opposite sides of the central container and, when forced into a position in which their uppermost walls are flush with the uppermost wall of the upper central container and in which a portion of their lowermost wall is adjacent the upper triangular panel 91, force the outer containers of the lower layer into intimate contact with the central lower container and the third panels 61 of the shelf 45. When the carton is thus filled, all of the containers within the carton are in intimate contat with one another and with the carton and shelf, and substantially all of the space above the shelf is utilized.

An important function of the shelf 45 is to maintain the central containers of each layer in position within the carton so that these containers will not be displaced when the other containers are urged into place. The shelf 45 also provides support for the entire lower layer and a portion of the upper layer. Further, the shelf when in its formed condition (FIG. 6), is somewhat resilient and urges the containers upwardly into intimate contact with one another and with the walls of the carton 27.

Various of the features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth in the following claims:

What is claimed is:

1. A package containing a plurality of elongated generally tetrahedral-shaped containers, each container having a first seam at one end and a second seam at the other end, the first seam being rotated at least 45 from the second seam, said package comprising a walled carton having a pair of adjacent walls meeting at an angle along a line of intersection, and a layer of said containers disposed within said carton with their first seams adjacent said line of intersection of said pair of adjacent walls of said carton and said containers having side walls lying in planes which intersect one another substantially at said line of intersection of said walls.

2. A package containing a plurality of tetrahedralshaped containers, each container having a first seam at one end and a second seam at the other end, the first scam being rotated at least 45 from the second seam, said package comprising a carton having a base wall, side walls, and a displaceable top wall; a shelf for supporting the containers within said carton and including a central panel disposed in overlying and adjacent relation to the base wall of said carton, a pair of opposing side panels and an upper panel extending upwardly from edges of said central panel, a pair of supporting panels extending upwardly in opposite directions from the upper edge of each of said side panels, and a corner panel extending downwardly from the upper edge of said upper panel and toward an adjacent .corner of said carton; and a first and second layer of three tetrahedral-shaped containers each disposed on said shelf, with the containers of each layer being disposed so that their first seams are adjacent a line of intersection of a pair of adjacent walls of said carton and lie in substantially vertical planes which intersect one another substantially at said line of intersection of said walls, the layers being disposed relative to one another so that the line of intersection adjacent the first seams of said first layer is diagonally opposite to the line of intersection adjacent the first seams of said second layer.

3. A multicornered container packed with tetrahedronshaped packages, said packages being arr-ang ed in sets each shaped like a fan, each set consisting of a plurality of packages with one end of each package in the set at the apex of the fan and the other ends of the packages in the fan constituting the outer edge of the fan, said sets being positioned in the container with their apices at different corners of the container and with one fan overlying another.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,809,600 6/1931 Palmer 206-- X 2,887,221 5/1959 Woodward 206-65 2,919,800 1/1960 Jarund 20665 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, EARLE I. DRUMMOND,

Examiners. 

1. A PACKAGE CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED GENERALLY TETRAHEDRAL-SHAPED CONTAINERS, EACH CONTAINER HAVING A FIRST SEAM AT ONE END AND A SECOND SEAM AT THE OTHER END, THE FIRST SEAM BEING ROTATED AT LEAST 45* FROM THE SECOND SEAM, SAID PACKAGE COMPRISING A WALLED CARTON HAVING A PAIR OF ADJACENT WALLS MEETING AT AN ANGLE ALONG A LINE OF INTERSECTION, AND A LAYER OF SAID CONTAINERS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CARTON WITH THEIR FIRST SEAMS ADJACENT SAID LINE OF INTERSECTION OF SAID PAIR OF ADJACENT WALLS OF SAID CARTON AND SAID CONTAINERS HAVING SIDE WALLS OF PLANES WHICH INTERSECT ONE ANOTHER SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID LINE OF INTERSECTION OF SAID WALLS. 